Radisson is reinforcing its position as one of the fastest-growing hotel companies in Africa, aiming to open more than 50 new hotels on the continent over the next five years.

In this time frame, the group is aiming to expand its African portfolio from nearly 100 hotels and 16 000 rooms in operation and under development, to 150 hotels and 25 000 rooms, with a focus on South Africa, Morocco, Nigeria, Egypt, Cameroon, Senegal and the Ivory Coast.

Upcoming openings include the Radisson Blu Hotel, Livingstone in Zambia, and the Radisson Safari Hotel, Hoedspruit, both due to open in the next few months. A total of nine hotels are set to be opened in 2023. 

The new openings follow a strong year for the group’s Africa expansion plans, which exceeded half-year growth targets on the back of a variety of new openings and market entries across business and leisure destinations. Highlights for 2022 so far have included the group’s entries into Madagascar (with a portfolio of three hotels), Ethiopia (Radisson Hotel Addis Ababa Bole Airport) and South Sudan (Radisson Blu Hotel, Juba). The opening of the Radisson Blu Hotel Durban Umhlanga also expanded the group’s portfolio in South Africa to 14 properties.

Commenting on the expansion at the Africa Hotel Investment Forum, Elie Younes, Executive Vice President & Global Chief Development Officer, said the last two years had been a time of accelerated growth for the group.

“Our rate of materialisation and openings is a testimony to the quality of our pipeline but also translates our conversion strategy in repositioning existing hotels under one of our Radisson Hotel brands. 2023 is already anticipated to remain positive with nine hotel openings during the year, which will only reinforce our presence across the region.”

Ramsay Rankoussi, Radisson’s Africa Vice President of Development, added that the group was viewing Africa as a key region for growth.

“Given our recognition as a market leader across the continent, we are well-positioned to speak about the vast opportunities within the African hospitality space. As a Group, we’ve made it a priority to consolidate our market share in key focus markets but also expand into new territories, further cementing our leadership as the most geographically diverse hotel company across Africa.”